Topic: Coming Soon - Blog Community (Postponed for now)

[Jim]

Here is some information on the Blog Community addon:

Powerful and flexible blog add-on for your Simple Machines forum.  Tons of options and features for one or an infinite number of blogs.  Use the multiple blogs mode to turn your forum into a blogging community or be selfish and just have your own blog.

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Features:

Modes...
- Disabled, Enabled (standard), Enabled (hidden), Enabled (multiple blogs)

Multiple Blogs Mode...
- All users you give the write_blog permission to can make their own blog
- All users you give both the write_blog and multiple_blogs permissions can make more than one blog
- Set maximum # of blogs each user can make

Categories...
- Enable / disable the Categories window on the right side of the blog
- Create any number of categories
- Reorder those categories however you want
- Edit category names
- Delete categories

Archives...
- Enable / disable the Archives window on the right side of the blog
- It displays all the month/year combinations that have at least one topic in them (excluding the first month with topics in it or just the current month)

Links...
- Enable / disable the Links window on the right side of the blog
- Create any number of links
- Reorder those links however you want
- Edit links names
- Delete links

Friends Of...
- Enable / disable the Friends Of window on the right side of the blog
- Displays a list of the blogs owned by users on your buddy list

Various settings...
- Blog name
- Blog description
- Justify side windows (right or left)
- show comments on blog page
- max # of topics to display on the main blog page
- max # of comments to display per topic
- max length of topics
- max length of comments

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[Triss]

That looks really cool Jim.  They sure have a lot of features for the bloggers!

[barleychown]

Sounds like fun! 

[Jim]

I downloaded the mod last night and did a preliminary look at the code to see if everything is compatible and it appears to me.  I may install it later tonight, just depends on the time.  I may install it on my test forum first to make sure it doesn't break something.  I also need to backup the files that it alters in case I need to restore them at a later date.

If you want to see what the mod looks like in action take a look here. 

http://www.degreesofzero.com/

The layout is what the Blog will look like, of course the colors are not right for our theme.  At least you can get an idea of what it will look like.  The site is actually the author of the mods blog.

[Triss]

Looks good Jim.  I like the nice uncomplicated layout.

[Jim]

OK, I have installed the Blog mod.  Each member that wants to create a  Blog can do so now.  Initially I have set it so you can only have 1 Blog.  That blog will be under the gardening category.

To create your blog, click on your Profile tab.

Along the left side of the screen you will see in the Modify Profile box, a new item called Blog Control Panel

Click on Blog Control Panel

When the dialog box opens, click on the here to initialize your blog. That will open up several other options that you can set.  If you get an error, be sure and write it down and reply to this topic so I can take a look at it.

After initializing, I recommend you just accept the defaults.  You can change them later.  Near the bottom of the first page, you can click on what membergroups can view the blog.  Uncheck Guest is you don't want the Blog to be Public.  Leave Regular Members checked as that includes every member on the board.

Currently I have the setting for 1 Blog per member but you can have categories within your Blog.  For example Triss mentioned Gardening and Crafts.  You can set each of those as a Category first and then when you post topics, you can select the category and that organizes your Blog as if you actually had 2.  To make the Categories and Links appear on the blog page, you have to click the check box for those selections.

To see a list of blogs that have been created and to go directly to them just click on the Blogs tab, right beside Home.

[Dianna]

Looks like some bugs need to be worked out. The comments won't show and it is not in the layout that it should be. Jim has been trying to get some help to figure it out...

[Jim]

I have removed the Blog mod for the time being.  The mod author suggested this as there is an update coming out within a week.  We might as well wait for the newest version and hope it fixed the one bug that we were having.  I had found where to patch the code but decided against it because of the changes on the horizon.

[Hillhound]

Sounds interesting Jim, I think it's a great idea!

[Triss]

Cannot wait until it is up and running!!!

[Jim]

I'm still waiting on the updated mod for the Blog Community.  The mod author is planning a release in about 2 weeks.  He has lots of improvements over what I posted earlier.  I'll try to get to his site and get some specifics today as well as an update on the features.

[Wrennie]

sorry but i dont get it. I dont get why add a blog. Isnt it just as simple to add another topic. Is there something I'm missing? Another place i go has blogs in the forum, and i just dont see why.

[Jim]

You are absolutely right Wrennie.  A Blog is nothing more than a presentation change.  In fact the mod that I was looking at actually uses SMFs format and just presents the data differently.  It doesn't show in the index but it's there just the same. 

Some of the members here are already using some of the topics like a blog.  Wrennie makes a good point.  Let's hear some other opinions. 

[Triss]

I am good either way Jim.  I like to blog and have one outside of here that I try and maintain regularly.  I would use one here I know but I am just as happy to keep up with my topic threads that I have going now for family pics, garden, and crafts.